Hmm...yeah, I'm not sure if I would have time this year to participate in the gift exchange. I'm going to be finishing up a project in the next couple weeks and then after that, I'll probably be busy with holiday preparations. I'm sure everyone can relate to that!

Unless we limit it to something small like a sketch card or something along those lines. Although, I'm not sure how that would work because that would probably require us to actually send the final piece of art to the person through the mail.

Unless, of course, people don't mind having their cards arrive after December 24th. I mean, we can still share them online before then, but to physically mail them out will definitely take more time. If we go down that route, I'm all for that. I guess it all depends on what works for everyone else.

Well, I am teaching 23 lessons in one place and 2x4 hours in two others. I have not touched a pencil or brush in weeks. And then the NaNo thing. Luckily my husband cooks for us, because he works at home and I have to travel a lot.

I'm not sure if I can get my hands on the proper cards as sketch cards are not a common in my region (I haven't been able to find them anywhere) but I am happy to produce a digital version for someone.

If, for whatever reason, people can't get a hold of the proper card paper, would hacking down Bristol board to the proper dimensions suffice? As for digital cards... I guess printing them on heavy stock and then cutting them out would work. I've done it for brochures, flyers, and business cards. It's busywork and the cards won't be the right material and the dimensions may be off by millimeters, but it's an option.

For those looking to get their hands on blank sketch cards, there's an easy way of making your own. I've done this plenty of times in the past and I know others have done so as well. All you need is a pad of bristol vellum or some other kind of bristol board. Lay out as many cards as you want per page (2.5" X 3.5") and cut them out individually using an exacto knife. It's the same stuff that most sketch card blanks are made of - in some cases, it's better than what you would get from companies on their official stock.

EDIT: And I see I was beaten to the punch! That's exactly right, TrakNar!

Well, I shopped for my brother. Groceries really eat up a lot of my finances. I prioritize relatives, now. This year, focus on this group, next year, focus on another group. If I can, I'll try to get people gifts, but they may end up with those cheese samplers, or chocolate, depending on which is easier on my wallet. Oh well. Everyone loves food. It's a gift that's sure to please.

Yeah, I can paint again, even though finding time is a real problem. I actually need a fourth teaching position, because I still need to pay my German study debts back. Sometimes I think it was a blasted idea to become a secondary school teacher. I should have stayed a Kindergarden teacher and suck the nonsense of the Catholic church up. And somehow the time contracts are worse in the Netherlands than in Germany. But well, I have my fanart and fanfic to keep me happy...